A vender-neutral organization with international focus that provides several tiers of computer security certifications is the ISC(2) (International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium). (more…)
The second type of involvement is where the computer was the target of the crime, such as during a denial of service (DoS) attack against an e-commerce Web site. The last type of involvement, which is often less obvious than the previous two, is when the computer contains information that is incidental to the crime, such as a database containing the “pay and owe” list from drug traffickers. (more…)
Much of the early use of computers was for the storage of financial data. Hence, initial groundwork in the area of computer forensics was done by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigative Division and other federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation). (more…)
Responsibilities of the crime scene first responder include:
Physically secure the scene: This step entails removing unnecessary personnel from the scene and ensuring that personnel not involved in scene processing do not gain access to the area and thus contaminate potential evidence. (more…)
Responsibilities of the crime scene first responder include:
Observe and establish the parameters of the crime scene: The first responder establishes if the crime is still occurring and notes the physical characteristics of the surrounding area. For computer forensics investigators this step can be extended to data systems that are live in a network environment. In these cases, the computer may be the target of an ongoing attack such as a DoS (denial of service) attack.
Initiate safety measures: Safety should be paramount in all situations. If while observing and establishing the parameters of the crime scene, or in any subsequent step, an unsafe situation is identified, measures should be taken to mitigate the situation. Safety from electrical, chemical, and biological hazards should be considered in addition to officer safety from criminal action.
An incident that highlights the need for safety occurred in August 2004, when one officer was killed and another wounded while serving a search warrant related to child pornography in Fort Lauderdale, Florida [Cnn01].
Provide emergency care: Although life-saving measures, if needed, should be considered of paramount concern, it is also important for the first responder to notify any responding emergency personnel about the importance of preserving evidence.
Observe and establish the parameters of the crime scene: The first responder establishes if the crime is still occurring and notes the physical (more…)
